Rosemary ‘Petie’ McCrudden
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave., Sequim, for former Sequim resident Rosemary “Petie” McCrudden.
Mrs. McCrudden died July 11, 2011, at the age of 91 of pancreatic cancer.
She was born March 18, 1920. She married Michael Joseph McCrudden. He and her son, Philip McCrudden, preceded her in death.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law Michael and Lynne McCrudden of
Pagosa Springs, Colo.; Christopher and Judy McCrudden of Princeton, N.J.; Stephen and Arlene McCrudden of Grandview, N.Y.; and daughter-in-law Judy Law McCrudden of Bainbridge Island; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Beth L. Youlden
Sequim resident Beth L. Youlden died July 29, 2011, at the age of 82.
She was born Nov. 6, 1928, in Edberg, Alberta, Canada, to Neil and Alma Aarestad Coutts.

A full obituary will appear in a later edition.

 

 

Cornell “Wayne” Roberts
1-11-40
7-28-11
Born in California and raised in Oklahoma, Wayne was a self-employed mechanic. He moved
back to California for 25 years.
Wayne then moved to Sequim
where he resided for 19 years.
Wayne loved fishing and ballroom dancing. He was a Sequim Elk member for the past 12 years
and Sequim Footprinters for the
past 5 years.
Wayne is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Michael Wayne Roberts and Donna Marie Roberts, Pittston, PA, and Mark Owen
Roberts and Pamala Roberts, Tehachapi, CA; sisters, Janice Shepherd, Grants Pass, OR; Dolores Smith, Bakersfield, CA, granddaughter Allysen Roberts, and numerous nieces and nephews in Oregon, California and Arizona.
A memorial service was held August 4, 2011 at the Sequim Elks Lodge.

 

 

Richard D. Schwartz
April 17, 1941 – July 28, 2011

Richard D. Schwartz, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, died at his home in Sequim, WA after a nearly-3-year battle against pancreatic cancer. Richard was born in Pretty Prairie, Kansas. He was active in sports and band and graduated in 1959. After completing a BS at Kansas State, and a Master’s degree in Divinity at Union Seminary in N.Y., he further studied astrophysics, receiving his doctorate from University of Washington in 1973.

When Dick arrived at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1975, he was the only astronomer in the Department of Physics. He built the astronomy program and initiated the B.S. in physics with an astrophysics option that the majority of physics majors chose. Dick was a wonderful teacher and provided outstanding leadership to the campus. He designed and provided oversight on the construction of the campus observatory that was completed in 1981. Since that time, the observatory has served as both a teaching and research facility. It is also used for monthly public open houses that draw hundreds of people annually to the campus to view the moon, stars, and planets. Upon his retirement in 2003, the Board of Curators approved naming the campus observatory the “Richard D. Schwartz Observatory” in honor of his distinctive service to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Just as important as Dick’s service to promote public interest in astronomy was his effort to make the campus observatory a research facility. Dick equipped and maintained the observatory with state-of-the-art detectors that allowed students to get their first taste of scientific research. From 1991-2003, he managed the campus program for the NASA/Missouri Space Grant Consortium and mentored over 30 research students in projects at the observatory. Some of the results have been published in astronomical journals. Many of those students went on to graduate schools and several have achieved tenure and distinction at major universities.

In addition to Dick’s service to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, he compiled a distinguished record of research that gave him an international reputation as an astrophysicist. During his career, Dick pioneered a new research area studying the energetic mass-loss in young stars,  leading to hundreds of astronomers and physicists working in this area worldwide. He used a variety of unique telescopes to conduct his research including the Hubble Space Telescope. There have been over 2000 citations to his 80 scientific papers. From 1979-1998, he had continuous funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation and in 1999, he received the Chancellor’s Award for Research and Creativity for his distinguished research record.

Dick retired in 2003 after 28 years at UMSL. However, he kept active in research, using the Galaxy View Observatory which he constructed adjacent to his home in Sequim. Characteristic of his broad scientific interests, this year the Geological Society of America Today will publish Dick’s commentary on the scientific basis of anthropogenic global warming. He brought a deep compassion to local activities to raise awareness of climate change, offering thoughtful comments in local newspapers that reflected his unique combination of degrees in astrophysics and divinity.

Dick is survived by his wife of 23 years, Eleanor McIntyre, 6 stepchildren, 14 grandchildren, two brothers, two nieces, and their families. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Richard D. Schwartz Scholarship at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. A memorial service celebrating Dick’s life will be held on Sunday, August 21, at 3:00 p.m. at the Sequim Senior Center. Donations for the Sequim Food Bank are preferred to flowers.